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Sakura Ryuunami
Appearance This woman is slim and petite, appearing phyisically in her late teens early twenties, though of course with shinigami physical appearances are no accurate indicator of age. Her long black hair has been braided down to about her butt, with bangs that fall into her face. Her eyes are a soft frosted jade green. Her skin is tanned and brown from the sun, and her bust is easily a size D in proportion to her body. Her thin and pleasantly shaped form has the definite hint of muscle beneath the beauty. A hand knit sapphire brimmed cap, with a woven rib and raised, black strelitzia design traditional to the eighth division adds a trendy and uniform compatible addition to her outfit. Worn on her hands are colorful noro fingerless gloves in a plain stockinette stitch. There's the hint of a sapphire, woolen undergarment beneath the white layer of her shihakusho around the bust. She wears the standard shinigami uniform, and the tattoo of a sapphire blue dragon in flight is inked on her back but only the nose is visible above her collar. A hindi and surfer pattern of tattoos form an ocean wave pattern around her neck. A triple moon design is tattoo'd on the back of her right hand, the seven pointed star on the back of her left. She wears hand knit sapphire tabi socks with silver moons knit into them under her tatami sandals. Sakura also wears a very soft, rich sapphire blue hand knitted wool scarf around her neck that covers part of her shoulders and trails behind her when she runs. Sakura is bearing fresh scars, barely visible above the tattoos on her front, a gash on her cheek, which continues on the underside of her chin, down her neck snaking across her chest, down her body to her hip. Personality Sakura is a lively person with an extraordinary amount of nervous energy, prompting her to exercise and action when she really should not be. She's very kind hearted and loving. In fact love is probably the key to her powers as a shinigami being so strong. Sakura clings to some parts of her american upbringing tenaciously. For the longest time she would introduce herself with her given name, and she still calls most people by their first names rather than their surnames as per the Japanese greeting. Sakura also has figured out how to cheat the natural erosion of memory of one's life before their death, using a technique often seen in the anime Ghost in the Shell, external memory. Its very simple. She writes down the details she wants to remember, and keeps books to remind her of where she came from, in this case, she keeps information on her death in two places; Sakura's “battle diary”, the details of every fight Sakura's ever gotten into are written down, but hidden within its pages is a note saying Sakura's date, time, cause and manner of death. She also keeps a textbook of American history in her quarters, with the pages of the era she came from marked and information about her life written in the margins. Sakura also keeps a worn out copy of “the Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck, and other books containing images of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression to remember where she comes from. Sakura is resourceful and creative, she's a skilled musician, but also has talents in grilling, cooking, gardening and knitting. Hopefully as a mother these hobbies will serve her well! When Sakura meets some villains, she tends to get obsessed. She wants to know what's going through their head. Much like a criminalist profiling a killer, Sakura likes to get into the enemy's head and figure out why they're doing what they're doing. She also enjoys looking at “bigger pictures” and will try to take all available data on an enemy faction and turn it into a coherant whole that her fellow shinigami can use to their advantage. Sakura hero worships the captains and lieutenants of the gotei 13, she read a lot about them in the shinigami academy and they are to her what favorite rockstars or movie stars are to a teenage girl. She's read about past captains and lieutenants as well. History Background part 1 Life in the Rukongai Date of Death: April 14th, 1935 Cause of Death: Suffocation Manner of Death: Caught out in the black sunday dust storm without a mask and suffocated. When the dust cleared away, a fourth division shinigami named Haruko appeared to check on the locals. She found the six year old girl dead, half buried in the drifts of dust and sand. Her spirit curled up in a ball nearby in terror. The barbed wire of the animal pen she'd hidden in was sparking with electricity caused by the dust storms. The girl was encircled by sharp sparking wires and half hidden by ornary goats and chickens who were just coming out from under cover after the storm. Sakura was glad to disappear into the Rukongai, anything to get away from the dust and despair of the American Dust Bowl. The hotheaded little girl found herself in the upper Rukon, where she befriended the son of a Merchant named Tomoki. Tomoki and Sakura soon became fast friends. So it wasn't before long when Tomoki's parents made an invitation. "in the rukongai, families are all adopted. Will you be in our family?" Sakura accepted, she was very young at the time, and didn't have anywhere to go. As she grew older in the soul society, she began to demonstrate some very interesting skills. She had an interest in knitting, and in human music, she had a beautiful singing voice and would often perform in the evenings in the Rukongai. But one day Sakura noticed something odd, she had just finished performing a new song she'd learned only recently when her stomach began to rumble. Something that had never happened in all the years she was in the Soul society. What was going on? Sakura walked into the family complex late one night, stomach rumbling audibly. Her adopted mother was in shock. "But... but... only those with spiritual power get hungry!" Sakura's expression was comical. "Is that bad momma?" The woman shook her head. "Not at all, it means that... well... it means you can join the shinigami in the seireitei. Its a hard life, but they have access to many privelages that rukongai dwellers don't have." Years perhaps, and years more. It wasn't for a long time after that Sakura decided to join the Seireitei. She continued her studies of music and of knitting and weaving for awhile. The Afterlife it seems, had a few things in store for her first. A storage house that her adopted parents kept their wares in burned down, and Sakura was stuck helping her adopted mother and father and brother to recoup their losses. And when she finally decided to join she had to study for the entrance exams. Sakura passed, finally able to become a student in the shinigami academy. Academy days and the Second Sakura entered the shinigami academy and by fourth year was quickly made teaching assistant to Jaeger, a shinigami academy instructor who did advanced classes. Sakura gained a reputation of being hard working, curious, studious, and talented. She graduated a year early, as a fifth year, and was placed in the second division. It rapidly became clear that Sakura was too gentle and kind hearted for the cold assasins of the second. However, she considered several people there to be her friends, even family. They were her brothers. Rikura, Aurcan, Ayanami, and Tachi. She made friends outside her division as well, twelfth divisioner Kaydin and fourth divisioner Usagi. Sakura experienced loss, victory, defeat, wounds, joy and ecstasy. Then one day, whispers began through the ranks, Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai were in trouble. Whatever they'd done, the whole sixth division was in danger. And there were rumors of rebellion. Sakura didn't want to get involved, she was loyal and she was seriously considering hiding. Its a good thing she didn't. When the Winter Rebellion began she didn't set out to be a hero. Sakura was just trying to escape the attack. However, she was key in breaking down the barrier that contained the divisions ordered to be executed by the Chamber of 46. She also made an arrest of one of the escaped chamber of 46 members post rebellion. A week after the winter rebellion's conclusion Sakura unlocked her shikai, the hydrokinetic zanpakuto Saeyamaru, that never acted the way the other zanpakuto did. And at the same time she also found love, the spitfire 11th Division 3rd Seat Kaido Shimamura. The two shinigami's tumultous love affair burned hot and fast. Winter rebellion song Hueco Mundo and Takae Kuchiki Arc Something was wrong with the garganta, they were /stuck/ open, allowing the shinigami and quincy to invade hueco mundo. However, several things happened that caused Sakura to be kept at home during a lot of this arc. Sakura began to act a little on the reckless, argumentative side, earning her a rip, three days in jail. She took the disgrace as a chance to change divisions, moving to the 8th. While her not fitting into the second's strict atmosphere was one reason for leaving, the other was simple. Her Nakama were all leaving the second, moving on to new, and better assignments that showed how much they'd grown, and Sakura was left behind. 8th was then ordered into hueco mundo, but soon after she arrived in Hueco Mundo, days of nausea turned out to be morning sickness. Sakura was pregnant. She was ordered to go home and left Hueco Mundo literally minutes ahead of an invading wave of hollows. Then the garganta /shut./ And the gates to the soul society swung open. Sakura was frantic, listening on the hell butterfly as Kaido nearly died fighting off the army of hollows and the shinigami and quincy encampments were overrun. With her sweet heart and nakama trapped in hueco mundo while /she/ herself was pregnant and unable to help, Sakura was barely clinging to sanity. And Sakura was /waiting/ for Kaido when the portals opened and the triumphant shinigami, quincy, bount and vizards returned from Hueco Mundo. She was there, waiting for those she cared about, and was singing for them when they returned. Thirty Years of Tears – John Hiatt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UluxqRuLjcE&playnext_from=TL&videos=nhpSda8Gn_M Doom Wing Arc Sakura began to have difficulty reconciling her condition with her instinct, which makes her an active, energetic persona. And so she's spent most of the Doom Wing Arc gathering intelligence until about midway through the arc, at which point Nocturne and Azgul's seperate threats to the twins she carries have caused her to retreat to the soul society. The one time she returned to the world of the living, the damage the doom wing had done caused her considerable distress. Powers and Abilities Zanpakutō Spirit: Saeyamaru has two aspects, a child aspect that could possibly grow older as she progresses in strength and which seems to age the stronger and more mature Sakura becomes as an officer, and a powerful sapphire dragon, which lurks at the bottom of a lake and when unleashed transforms Sakura's body and Saeyamaru's blade into an engine of hydrokinetic destruction. The two halves of her zanpakuto sum up Sakura's personality and powers pretty well. A peaceful, childish, loving half and a raging, vengeful, overprotective, fiercely loyal protector who sometimes says things in anger that she doesn't mean. Sakura believes that contacting the dragon is the key to reaching Bankai, but that it also guards her memories of her prior life. Saeyamaru doesn't behave in a fashion thats normal for sakura. He often allowed her to “preview” his power in the academy, allowing her to have a brief, teasing, tantalizing glimpse of his secrets and then taking them away. Saeyamaru frequently became jealous of Sakura's use of kido, even trying to take over her Hado 58 Tenran by turning it blue during the winter rebellion and later lacing it with water to make it a water spout rather than a tornado. During an exercise, Saeyamaru became fond of Zanson's zanpakuto spirit, much the way children cling to people. This fanfic, dragon, tells the secrets of the lake in her inner world... http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5524346/1/Dragon Shikai: The blade of her shikai itself is the same size as Ichigo's zangetsu. But its much different in form, it has jagged edges along its blade, like the flames coming from a dragon's mouth, or water lapping at the shore. These edges can catch an enemy sword, ripping it from its owner's hands or cause even more damage than a swing from Zangetsu of comparable strength might. Etched on the flat of its blade is a western dragon with a triple moon in its mouth and stars in each hand. Its tail coils in a tight circle, surrounding a second triple moon sign. Saeyamaru grants Sakura hydrokinesis, mainly control over water vapor, ground water or liquid water, however its form creates several different “Dragon shaped” attacks similar in appearance to Hitsugaya's Hyourinmaru, however, Hyourinmaru is ice, whereas Saeyamaru is liquid water. There are also minor differences between Hyourinmaru's dragon shape and the dragons summoned by Saeyamaru. Techniques: <> < Water Serpent Tsunami > <> Author: Sakura Does Damage: Yes Rank: Standard Stamina Cost: 75 Area Stamina Cost: 225 Reiatsu Cost: 150 Damage Type: SPIRIT COLD Description: Sakura focuses a stream of water laced with spiritual energy in the shape of a dragon's head and neck at the tip of her shikai blade and fires it at an enemy. <> <> <> < Jormugander Jet Stream > <> Author: Sakura Does Damage: Yes Rank: Medium Stamina Cost: 100 Area Stamina Cost: 350 Reiatsu Cost: 450 Reiatsu Enhancement Cost: 550 Damage Type: SPIRIT Description: The skill takes two forms, either several columns of water shoot up from the ground, beneath the feet of the enemy if need be, sending him or her flying high into the air, the colomns leading edge forms into a dragon's head, with swallows up the enemy and attempts to drown them. Alternately this can be used under her own feet to give her a boost of height. This technique can also send a blast of water horizontally, which forms into a dragon shape and once it impacts the target, curls upwards at a near 90 degree angle, pushing the enemy upwards into the air and off their feet. <> <> <> < Nidhoggr's Bite > <> Author: Sakura Does Damage: Yes Rank: Standard DoT: Yes Stamina Cost: 50 Reiatsu Cost: 175 Reiatsu Enhancement Cost: 325 Health Absorb: 200 Damage Type: COLD Description: Saeyamaru calls upon the ice and underworld dragon Nidhoggr to gain the powers of Nifelheim, the Norse Underworld and Realm of Ice. Nidhoggr consumes the corpses of the dead and between meals he chews on the roots of the world tree Yggdrasil and when Ragnarok, the battle for the end of the world begins, he will break free. A dragon head resembling the infamous dragon and made from black ice rises up from the earth, snapping its jaws on the enemy and draining their hit points. The stronger the enemy, the more severe the bite. During this draining, Nidhoggr sinks his fangs into the enemy's body. This attack becomes easier to perform when Sakura is desperate, terrified, or in some other form of emotional distress. Once its connected, Nidhoggr's head will not move. It can be attacked and destroyed or when its done with its work it will crumble away on its own. Its mean, its nasty, its bloody, the enemy thrashes and screams in agony. Its the kind of attack that gives enemies, and its user, nightmares. And if Sakura gets really, really mad or desperate, or has any reason at all to be vicious, this is the attack she uses. Its also able to grab someone no matter what they're doing or where they are. But just like the gates of hell, even though its frightening, it won't attack someone Sakura doesn't want it to attack. <> <> <> < Deluge > =<> Author: Sakura Does Damage: Yes Rank: High Stamina Cost: 200 Area Stamina Cost: 600 Reiatsu Cost: 825 Reiatsu Enhancement Cost: 1650 Damage Type: SPIRIT COLD Description: A long time ago, Leonardo Da Vinci created a series of sketches called 'The deluge' the ultimate image of destruction by water. These black and white drawings portrayed the elements running riot through the cities of mankind, not just water, but earth and lightning all destroying everything. The Deluge Sketches are Master Da Vinci's final work, but are hinted at in the background of his famous painting, the Mona Lisa. Deluge is Saeyamaru's ultimate shikai attack, during which Sakura draws water from all possible sources, atmosphere, groundwater, nearby bodies of water, even the sweat off the skin of her enemy, all are drawn into a massive flood of water. As the Deluge progresses, it forms into the shape of the monster in her inner world's lake, the dragon's identity revealed at last, for this is that dragon's personal technique. The Deluge leaves everything soaked, and all the marks of a miniature storm surge in its environment. <> <> <> < Saeyamaru Deluge Mode > <> Author: Sakura Stamina Cost: 50 Reiatsu Cost: 450 This transformation modifies the user's reiatsu by -115 per action. Description: A long time ago, Leonardo Da Vinci created a series of sketches called 'The deluge' the ultimate image of destruction by water. These black and white drawings portrayed the elements running riot through the cities of mankind, not just water, but earth and lightning all destroying everything. The Deluge Sketches are Master Da Vinci's final work, but are hinted at in the background of his famous paintings, the Mona Lisa, the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist. Saeyamaru - Deluge Mode Sakura's skin becomes covered with beads of ice and reiatsu, glittering like scales. Two large 'wings' of energy form from her back. A 'helmet' of reiatsu forms over the top of her head shaped like a dragon's head, covering eyes and increasing her senses of smell and hearing. In this transform Sakura gains enhanced spiritual energy, extending the reach and capability of her hydrokinesis technique, even allowing Sakura to control any body or source of water within her line of sight, meaning that with a telescope, binaculars or a surveillance system she can still attack using her hydrokinesis related techniques, opening up a new world of possibilities. <> <> Bankai: Kurosadori Saeyamaru <> < Kurosadori Saeyamaru > <> Class: Weapon Equippable: Yes Wear Locations: main-hand off-hand Damage Type: SPIRIT SHARP COLD Weapon Desc: Kurosadori Saeyamaru, "Crusader Saeyamaru", is a massive jeweled ji halberd at least ten feet long, with curls of water that seem to follow the blade, blinking in and out of existance in the form of dragon wings thar roar. Orbs of water cover Sakura's hands and feet, lifing her into the air and allowing her to hover/fly low over the ground, but not at any great height. <> <> <> < Regina de luna mare > =<> Author: Sakura Does Damage: Yes Rank: High DoT: Yes Stamina Cost: 400 Counter Stamina Cost: 1200 Reiatsu Cost: 600 Counter Reiatsu Cost: 1800 Health Absorb: 540 Damage Type: COLD SPIRIT Description: Sakura's first bankai technique, Regina de Luna Mare, which is Latin for "queen of the lunar ocean" is a highly developed hydrokinesis/ice technique. Like a homing missile but made of water, the technique forms a flower made of ice at the tip of her weapon, petal by petal, before blasting a high pressure water jet that attempts to follow even the fastest enemies around the battlefield like a homing missile and freezes anything it impacts, leaving ice crystals on its victims in the shape of the triple moon sign or the wiccan triquetta producing cumulative damage as the ice drains health from the enemy and channels it back to Sakura. The technique is ultra precise, highly accurate, and could easily be used in tight spaces where manuvering the "frame" she's suspended on is not an option. Due to the freeze-burn, this attack continues to cause some damage over time. <> <> Creative Influences Sakura and Saeyamaru draw inspiration from two places that are precious to me. The now offline Soucon Mush was the very first mush game the player ever did. On Soucon Sakura's main characters were Gwen and her blue dragon Saeynth. Saeynth was the inspiration for Saeyamaru, and the inspiration for Saeynth was Errol Flynn, an actor who was best known for his portrayal of Robin hood. Sakura didn't know Errol Flynn, but she understood “robin hood.” Saeyanth's desc was of a rain and ocean blue dragon, partially giving rise to Saeyamaru's hydrokinesis power. The dragon at the bottom of the lake in Sakura's world is a non pern version of Saeynth. Sakura's frequent holding of socials was drawn from another Soucon tradition, Alina, wingleader of Gwen's first wing, Firedance, would frequently host events and socials for her wing. In the tradition of Firedance Wing Events I have done my best to use these socials to liven up rp in the shinigami faction The second major influence on Sakura's creation was a group RP series called “Gatekeepers” that I and two of my friends created on a forum. Gwen was my main character on Gatekeepers, but her real name, her hidden name, was Sakura. The gatekeepers of the stories create false identities, similar to Wiccan “Craft Names.” Sakura Aramaki became Gwen Waverider became Gwen Ryuunami, and when she died Gwen took her birth name back, becoming Sakura Ryuunami, hence Sakura's name here. In the Gatekeepers saga, Gwen's main power prior to becoming a shinigami was her hydrokinesis, a power granted her as the spiritual host of the Dragon God of the East, Seiryuu. Her zanpakuto, Saeyamaru, is transferred as accurately as coding and game rules will allow, combining Seiryuu's powers with the way Sakura's zanpakuto was depicted in the Gatekeepers to create Saeyamaru as he appears in the game. Gwen and Saeynth, Sakura and Saeyamaru are a dear part of my heart, all my characters are, but they came first, and will always be first. Category:Character Page Category:Gotei 13